A Dark + Decadent Engagement Party

Friday, July 28th, 2017 | By Emily Coates

A shared passion for fitness led to Chiara and Josh meeting in a gym, before realising they shared a bunch of mutual friends. Four years later, Josh popped the question to Chiara during a romantic dinner on Mosman Park Foreshore (take a peek at the cute set up here!), and the rest of their story is history.

Set in an industrial warehouse in Perth, Chiara + Joshua’s engagement party has us captivated with its creative styling, which provided the perfect atmosphere for a night of pure revelry.

It would be an understatement to say we’re completely obsessed with the venue. With its lofty ceilings, textured exposed brick walls and polished concrete floors, Fridays Studio provided the ideal backdrop for this stunning celebration.

Chiara says, ‘I liked the warehouse feel of Fridays Studio and thought it was best complemented by darker colour palette, with a bit of brightness in the lights—like our Josh + Chiara sign—as well as moody-hued florals in mustards, golds and reds.’

Sculptural blooms crept up metal shelving, formed an awe-inspiring feature behind the bar and cascaded from the ceiling. The creativity in the floral styling is reminiscent of installation artwork—and we wouldn’t expect anything less from the incredibly talented Rebecca of Natural Art Flowers.

Guests were treated to a decadent spread featuring an epic grazing table with all items made entirely by Chiara’s family, as well as Chiara’s Nonna’s famous gnocchi and cocktail food by the talented foodies at Empire Catering.

Oh, and did we mention Chiara’s dress? With its intricate applique, leather corsetry and lace detailing, we’re lusting over Chiara’s stunning ‘Stranded Romance’ Zimmermann gown. The design is from Zimmermann’s Spring RTW runway collection, and was carefully selected and styled for Chiara by the talented girls at Department on Beaufort.

Instead of asking for presents, Chiara and Josh encouraged their guests to make donations to The Black Dog Institute, a research institution dedicated to understanding, preventing and treating mental illness.

And Chiara’s favourite part of the event? She says, ‘the engagement shoot of Josh and I before guests arrived, celebrating the special occasion with close family and friends, and bringing both sides of the extended family together for the first time.’